Lesson 08 What Is Jehovah Like?
[Image:] A man gazing at the sky.
[Press play to hear the MP3 of the Lesson]
Jehovah wants you to know him better. Why? He hopes that the more you learn about his personality, his ways, and his purpose, the more you will want to be his friend. Can you really be God’s friend? (Read Psalm 25:14) What can you do to become his friend? The Bible answers those questions and reveals why friendship with Jehovah is the most important relationship you can have.
[Read scripture] Psalm 25:14: Close friendship with Jehovah belongs to those who fear him, And he makes his covenant known to them. [End of Read scripture]
1. What invitation does Jehovah offer you?
“Draw close to God, and he will draw close to you.” (James 4:8)
[Quotation] James 4:8: Draw close to God, and he will draw close to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you indecisive ones. [End Quotation]
What does this mean? Jehovah is inviting you to become his friend. Some may find it difficult to imagine being friends with anyone they cannot see, let alone with God himself. Yet, in his Word, the Bible, Jehovah reveals everything we need to know about his personality in order for us to draw close to him. When we read God’s message to us in the Bible, our friendship with Jehovah grows even though we have never seen him.
2. Why is Jehovah the best Friend you can have?
No one loves you more than Jehovah does. He wants you to be happy and to turn to him whenever you need help. You can “throw all your anxiety on him, because he cares for you.” (1 Peter 5:7) Jehovah is always ready to support, comfort, and listen to his friends. Read Psalm 94:18 and 19.
[Read scripture] Psalm 94:18 and 19: When I said: “My foot is slipping,” Your loyal love, O Jehovah, kept supporting me. When anxieties overwhelmed me, You comforted and soothed me. [End of Read scripture]
3. What does Jehovah expect of his friends?
Jehovah loves people in general, “but His close friendship is with the upright.” (proverbs 3:32)
[Quotation] Proverbs 3:32: For Jehovah detests a devious person, But His close friendship is with the upright. [End Quotation]
Jehovah expects his friends to try to do things that he views as good and to avoid things that he considers bad. Some may feel that they could never live up to Jehovah’s standards of good and bad. However, Jehovah is large-hearted. He accepts everyone who truly loves Him and does his best to please Him.
[Quotation] Psalms 147:11: Jehovah finds pleasure in those who fear him, In those waiting for his loyal love. [End Quotation]
[Quotation] Acts 10:34 and 35: At this Peter began to speak, and he said: “Now I truly understand that God is not partial, but in every nation the man who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him. [End Quotation]
Dig Deeper
Learn more about how you can become Jehovah’s friend, and discover why he is the best Friend you can have.
4. Abraham was Jehovah’s friend
The Bible account of Abraham (also called Abram) gives us a glimpse of what it means to be God’s friend. Read about Abraham at Genesis 12:1 through 4. Then discuss the questions that follow:
[Read scripture] Genesis 12:1 through 4: And Jehovah said to Abram: “Go out from your land and away from your relatives and from the house of your father to the land that I will show you. I will make you a great nation, and I will bless you, and I will make your name great, and you will become a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who calls down evil on you, and all the families of the ground will certainly be blessed by means of you.” So Abram went just as Jehovah had told him, and Lot went with him. Abram was 75 years old when he left Haran. [End of Read scripture]
What did Jehovah ask Abraham to do?
What did Jehovah promise him?
How did Abraham respond to Jehovah’s instructions?
5. What Jehovah asks of his friends
We usually expect certain things of our friends.
What are some things that you like your friends to do for you?
Read 1 John 5:3, and then discuss the question that follows:
[Read scripture] 1 John 5:3: For this is what the love of God means, that we observe his commandments; and yet his commandments are not burdensome, [End of Read scripture]
What does Jehovah expect of his friends?
In order to obey Jehovah, we may need to change our conduct or our personality traits. Read Isaiah 48:17 and 18, and then discuss the question that follows:
[Read scripture] Isaiah 48:17 and 18: This is what Jehovah says, your Repurchaser, the Holy One of Israel: “I, Jehovah, am your God, The One teaching you to benefit yourself, The One guiding you in the way you should walk. If only you would pay attention to my commandments! Then your peace would become just like a river And your righteousness like the waves of the sea. [End of Read scripture]
Why does Jehovah ask his friends to make changes?
[Image:] A construction worker handing a safety helmet to a fellow worker. Caption: A good friend would remind us of things that can protect and benefit us. Jehovah does the same for his friends
6. What Jehovah does for his friends
Jehovah helps his friends cope with problems. Play the video Jehovah Has Done So Much for Me (3:20), and then discuss the question that follows.
[Click for Transcript]|[Jehovah has done so much for me]
[A canapé of dark clouds hangs over the ocean. From a cliff a woman looks out at the churning sea]
Crystal: When I was 14, things that happened in the past started to catch up with me emotionally.
[Flashback to her as a young girl crying]
And I felt like everything that happened in my life was my fault. I did then try to take my life.
When I was little, a family friend sexually abused me, and he continued to do so for many years.
[Back to present, the woman’s eyes narrow and her lips tighten]
I didn’t tell anyone what was going on. I didn’t even tell my dad.
[Flashback to her as a girl]
I just tried to act normal, to block it all out.
[Outside she watches the rain]
I remember that Dad looked into lots of different religions while I was growing up. Then one day Jehovah’s Witnesses knocked on our door.
[A couple walks to her toward her house]
Their sincerity was very evident. They were clearly interested in us as people and were sincerely offering for us to get to know Jehovah and the Bible.
[The couple study with her and her father]
Learning from the Bible that God says that he will take my right hand, that he will fortify me, that he will really help me,
[Present day]
it blew me away!
[Wearing a bright red sweater the young woman enters a Kingdom Hall]
When I went to a Kingdom Hall, I could feel the love and sincerity and warmth of everyone in there right away, and it put me at ease.
[With a radiant smile she hugs a woman in a lemon-yellow blouse then cheerfully waves to a mother and her kids]
Jehovah has done so much for me personally. I want to help as many people benefit from that same relationship with our God.
[Now in the ministry]
For the last 12 years, I’ve been doing full-time Bible education work.
[At a kitchen table, she conducts a Bible study with a short haired woman]
Of course, my life is not perfect. I still struggle from time to time, especially with negative thinking and emotions.
[Another day she walks along a sidewalk to an ocean wall]
Sometimes I need to get up and do something, do some physical activity.
[She steps down into the pool]
Sometimes when I have the memories coming back, it’s like I’m watching a bad movie, and somehow, I need to change the channel.
[She swims through the sea green water]
I like to pray down at the beach. It makes me feel very close to Jehovah.
[At the water’s edge she reads her Bible then looks up with a serene gaze]
Coming to know Jehovah has given my life meaning and purpose.
[With a wide smile she strolls along the shoreline with friends]
I remember learning the promise from God. He says that ‘I’m making all things new’ and that ‘these things will not come up into the heart nor will they come up into the mind.’
[A little girl runs into her arms for a hug]
I can’t wait for that time, and I’m so grateful for that promise.
[Friends of all ages play cricket on the beach and grill hotdogs. She joins her friends]
(Logo: Black capital letters JW.ORG inside a white box. Copyright 2015 Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania) [Click to close]
How has Jehovah helped the woman in the video to deal with her negative thinking and emotions?
Read Isaiah 41:10 and 13, and then discuss the questions that follow:
[Read scripture] Isaiah 41:10: Do not be afraid, for I am with you. Do not be anxious, for I am your God. I will fortify you, yes, I will help you, I will really hold on to you with my right hand of righteousness.’ [End of Read scripture]
[Read scripture] Isaiah 41:13: For I, Jehovah your God, am grasping your right hand, The One saying to you, ‘Do not be afraid. I will help you.’ [End of Read scripture]
What does Jehovah promise to do for all of his friends?
Do you think Jehovah would make a good Friend? Why?
[Image:] Collage: Close friends helping each other. 1. A man helps another man to move a large table. 2. A woman confides in another woman. 3. A man assists another man with a crutch to walk. Caption: Close friends give you help when you need it. Jehovah will help you too
7. Friendship with Jehovah involves communication
Communication strengthens bonds of friendship. Read Psalm 86:6, 11, and then discuss the questions that follow:
[Read scripture] Psalm 86:6: Listen, O Jehovah, to my prayer; And pay attention to my pleas for help.
Psalm 86:11: Instruct me, O Jehovah, about your way. I will walk in your truth. Unify my heart to fear your name. [End of Read scripture]
How can we communicate with Jehovah?
How does Jehovah communicate with us?
[Image:] Collage: 1. A woman prays. An arrow over her head points up. 2. A woman reads the Bible. An arrow over her head points down. Caption: We speak to Jehovah through prayer; he speaks to us through the Bible
[Box]
Some People Say: “It’s impossible to be close to God.” What scripture would you use to show that we can be Jehovah’s friend? [End of box]
Summary
Jehovah wants to be your Friend, and he will help you draw close to him.
Review
How does Jehovah help his friends?
Why does Jehovah instruct his friends to make changes?
Do you think Jehovah expects too much of his friends? Why, or why not?
Goal
Share with a friend something that you have learned about Jehovah. Set Other Goals
Explore
How can friendship with God affect your life “Jehovah—A God Worth Knowing” (The Watchtower, February 15, 2003)
[Click for article]|[Coming soon] [Click to close]
Learn how to cultivate a friendship with God. “How Can I Become God’s Friend?” (Questions Young People Ask—Answers That Work, Volume 2, chapter 35)
[Click for article]|[Coming soon] [Click to close]
Find out why one woman feels that her friendship with Jehovah saved her. “I Did Not Want to Die!” (The Watchtower No. 1 2017)
[Click for article]|[Coming soon] [Click to close]
Listen to teenagers express their feelings about Jehovah. What Does It Mean to Be God’s Friend? (1:46)
[Click for transcript]|[Coming soon] [Click to close]